The Rise of 2015

˙© All Rights Reserved, Big Block Studios, Inc. . 407-929-8918 . justice@bigblockstudios.com . @justicemitchell - Twitter/Skype

Changes to the digital landscape.

This presentation is based on research conducted in Q3 and Q4 of 2014. Some of this presentation is fact, while some is a gut-feeling I’m sensing in the digital spectrum. Telling you which-is-which would be no fun.It is a jumpstart on 2015 for those of you who follow me at JusticeMitchell.com for information and education on social media, content, and integrated marketing. I want to enlighten you about changes to the overall digital landscape. By knowing the larger shifts within the digital spectrum, you can better understand the effect they will have on your business and potential marketing objectives.

The Bigger Picture

Crisis Management Becomes Advertising

Digital extortion will bring a new set of standards to crisis management. Now more than ever, it is important to protect your brand, intellectual property, data, and most importantly – your public perception. Smart companies will also prepare additional advertising to right the ship in case of an attack.

Growth Hacking

Growth hacking is both one of the hottest buzz terms in the entrepreneurial startup’s lexicon, and also one of the most misunderstood directives. Think of them as reengineered mindsets, enculturation, processes, and a state of constant re-invention. Watch as companies change consistently to emphasizes communication, ideation, quick testing, and the flexibility to tap the potential of emerging businesses.

Digital Gangs, Factions & “Protection”

With the rise of the digital advocacy group “anonymous,” we witnessed the power of the digital gang. Watch as 2015 begins at the forefront of a growing evolution of factions, gangs and digital mafia-like families that will offer an array of services both positive and negative.

Digital Extortion

With the first massively successful digital extortion that caused Sony Pictures to withhold wide release of a film based upon acts of digital terrorism, watch as this becomes the new norm. Both from a business and marketing perspective, the NWO will be to prepare well beyond PR should you be affected by this new crime.

Cyber Warfare

For years the term “cyber warfare” has been the platform of science fiction novels, as well as a futuristic throwaway buzzword. That time is now, and we effectively need to change our mindset as to the importance of our digital assets, physical resources, and anything susceptible to manipulation within a digital grid.

A New Military Branch

Watch over the next five years as the United States implements a new type of soldier, a new type of threat, and a very new marketing directive to the future of our nation’s security. If you wonder why this affects your business, then you are failing to see the larger picture and potential of future attacks to our nation and its capitalistic footprint.

Digital Corporate Security

As we start to understand the nature of the enemy, will there be a massive influx of new business that is created around “digital corporate security.” Not simply from a cloud/IP/software perspective, but an actual physical presence that will also fall in line with a new definition and acceptance of “big brother.”

Growing Digital SOP for Corporate HR

Watch as human resources departments of larger corporations revisit any and all facets involving the interplay of employees and digital assets. Look for new standard operating procedures that not only address he direct output, but the employees personal output and how it potentially affects the brand perception.

Digital Employee Compartmentalization & Security Levels

For years, the government and its subcontractors have constructed normality around physical and digital security. Many of these levels, or “clearances,” will by replicated in nongovernmental sectors. As more more businesses understand their actual value is the summation of their digital properties, they will move to protect those properties. Look for marketing to shift into varying levels of distribution based upon audience authority.

Modular Development Environments

Modular development environments also support the growth hacking and scrum methodologies. These environments allow quick concepts, testing, and working prototypes to be implemented quickly and efficiently. From a marketer's perspective, think of these environments as an aggressively optimized media plan, or highly organic conversational social media.

Agenda-based Attacks on Brands & Corporations

Some people would tell you the movie “Blackfin" was a documentary/protest message against SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment. And while that's true, it is also the blueprint for agenda-based attacks on brands, corporations, and product messaging. As a marketer, or brand manager, this "dirty bomb” could effectively bring down your whole corporation. Expose weaknesses within your brand that could be manipulated in this format – and prepare.

Multi-demo-platform Marketing

It's not enough to just create a persona or understand the specific demographic of your product or brand. You need to further dissect the potential of second and tertiary demos that might utilize your products and services. Furthermore, you also need to then break down those demos into potential subsets that could be marketed to groups such as LGBT, military, family hierarchy, and defined interests. There’s massive untouched market share now due to the presumption of old data, and competitive analytics.

Wearable Technology

While wearable technology has arguably had its ups and downs with forays such as Google Glass, the highly anticipated Oculus Rift, and others, the injection of the iWatch and it's potentially massive consumer acceptance will fuel a re-interest in the construction of integrated “on-person” products. Also stay mindful of the potential influx of new application development that is tuned to this particular subset of products.

Net Neutrality Will Partially Implode

The foundation of net neutrality has to do with both the monopolization and control of bandwidth and digital infrastructure. However, with the influx of digital terrorism and the byproduct of control and management of those connective assets, these concerns will collapse under the potentiality, threats and successes within future digital warfare.

Mobile Commerce

In 2014 we saw the introduction of "Apple Pay,” and while there have been many before it, Apple’s brand promotes ease of integration to a mass consumer audience. It is not only perceived as simple, but cool. Always a winning combination. Let this be a message to future application developers that no matter how great your concept and execution may be, there is a limited shelf life and deployment window for all platforms and societal need.

Social Commerce

Social commerce is often argued as a bit of an oxymoron. Nevertheless, companies, brands, and entrepreneurs constantly look for ways to crack the code of using social media in a direct sales capacity. Watch as more and more pre-existing and new companies come online to tap into natural-feeling commerce using social channels.

B2B/B2C Brands Seek Open-Source Relationships

Starting next year, watch large B2B brands begin to drop specialities that block them from developing new business. Specific disciplines that have been defined will be replaced with a larger or more open-ended set of skills, as well as relationships with other companies in order to fulfill all needs. Businesses and brands are becoming smarter and more effective as to what they are looking for out of their relationships with agencies and other subsidiaries. Maximize this organic growth potential by selling your Rolodex of services that can be brought about under your umbrella.

Blacklisted Countries

While this may not actually happen in 2015, I think it is something to keep a keen eye on. In the very near future we will be “black listing” countries and regions that we believe to be a digital threat. This is important to understand from a business and marketing perspective as there is potential backlash to sweeping governmental action. Especially the type of action that potentially diminishes or eliminates revenue from a particular country or area.

Marketing “Fear”

There may very well be only one thing that sells better than sex – and that is fear. While selling fear is nothing new, watch as it increases in concepts moving forward. What-if’s, threats, and scare tactics will be more and more a part of advertising as they redirect consumer opinion and need to protect themselves.

Drop the Celebrity - Embrace the Influencer

While many marketers have utilized celebrities to promote products and brands, watch as the more budget-conscious, scrappy agencies look to exploit digital influencers over figureheads. Not only do these digital influencers touch an amazingly large built-in audience, more often than not they are exponentially less expensive, often with a better return.

Cloud Plug-Ins

In 2015, the best applications will choose not to acquire, but embrace relationships with third-party industries by adding them into their fold as a plug-in or extension. Platforms such as Google Chrome and HootSuite have found exceptional adoption to this modularity, as well as the secondary bonus of the associated brand equity that comes with the unity between platforms.

Community-Presale Product Development

Something that companies like kickstarter.com, Threadless.com, and TeeSpring.com figured out long ago is that innovators can get to market with less risk if they can socially aggregate enough interest in a product and get the consumer community to invest preemptively. Watch as this model is retooled for more products, versions, and services in the future.

Hackers for Hire — Keyword “Vulnerability”

The term “hacker” has come a long way in the past two decades. It was often sold in the light of the villain or someone bent on the destruction of the digital landscape. Now more than ever, marketing professionals are revamping the same kernel of conversation and folding it into professional services, modeling the businesses of tomorrow. Watch as more and more groups form and market themselves in this capacity.

White-listing

The NWO for developers and digital professionals will be to abide by and construct intellectual properties that are compliant with governmental white-listing. And while I can already hear the protests of these same users, their compliancy will come out of both fiscal gain and governmental mandate.

Black-listing

We certainly cannot talk about the one category without the other. The devil to the angel and so on. As governments make an immediate charge to “identify and contain,” we will see the emergence of an entirely new genre of certifications and business models.

Data Driven Creative

Analytics and data have been the talk of many an industry, but rarely does it result in creative execution. Campaign analytics are used as a tool to “tweak" and optimize pre-existing creative directions and directive. Watch in 2015 as more agencies and businesses look to the data first while creative follows suit.

Marketing Budgets Go Rogue

Any of us that have been in advertising long enough to watch brands spend exponential amounts of money on television and print have seen a blinding budget shift in the past decade. Watch as more clients expect agencies to do "more with less,” as well as seeking quick shifts and optimization based on limited data, and forecasting models that will be found in future marketing applications.

Native Advertising Matures

“Native advertising” has been the drunken ex-girlfriend at the prom over the past few years. Now that ugly duckling is not only making moves with the largest businesses and brands, but is a sought-after tool in every marketing arsenal. Watch as more brands assign budgets to native advertising/content agencies that will not only sell placement, but find educational expertise within the chosen category.

Justice MitchellCreative | Social | Content

˙© 2014 . All Rights Reserved, Big Block Studios, Inc. . 407-929-8918 . justice@bigblockstudios.com . @justicemitchell - Twitter/Skype